Greater New Orleans

Annual coin show draws hundreds of collectors to Kenner

As Matthew Brown turned away from the display table, holding a 1947D Walking Liberty half dollar in his hand, a giant smile spread across his face.

BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Rick Demers, of The Coins and Collectibles Shop, talks about a coin with Scott Hawkins, 10,during the Louisiana Numismatic Association's coin show at the Doubletree Hotel in Kenner Saturday, July 9, 2011. More than 20 dealers attended the show that included United States coins and paper currency, Civil War paper currency, coins from ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantine coins, coins from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance, gold and silver bullion, and foreign coins and currency from around the world. The Crescent City Coin Club hosted the two-day event.

“This is the one I came here looking for,” said Brown, 22. “This will help make my collection complete.”

Brown, who collects Walking Liberty half dollars minted from 1916 to 1947, was one of more than 500 people who attended the Louisiana Numismatic Association’s annual coin show at the Doubletree Hotel in Kenner. The Crescent City Coin Club hosted the event, which drew 27 exhibitors from Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Nevada.

BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE A collector gets a close look at a half-cent coin from 1808 during the Louisiana Numismatic Association's coin show at the Doubletree Hotel in Kenner Saturday, July 9, 2011. More than 20 dealers attended the show that included United States coins and paper currency, Civil War paper currency, coins from ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantine coins, coins from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance, gold and silver bullion, and foreign coins and currency from around the world. The Crescent City Coin Club hosted the two-day event.

The show featured United States coins and paper currency, Civil War paper currency, coins from ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantine coins, coins from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance, gold and silver bullion, and foreign coins and currency from around the world.

It has been a local event every year since 1982, said Bob Eddy, president of the Louisiana Numismatic Association and chairman of the show. Eddy is also treasurer of the Crescent City Coin Club.

“We hope the show will help build an interest in coin collecting, especially among young people,” said Eddy, who lives in Metairie.

Griffin Gansar, 10 and a fifth-grader at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, was also among those who attended the show. He was accompanied by his parents, Greg and Stacey Gansar of Metairie.

“Griffin is interested in coin collecting, and we came with him to support him and his interest,” Stacey Gansar said.

Griffin added, “I’ve been collecting coins for a year, and my interest is in 50-cent pieces and silver dollars. I’m interested in learning how one piece can be worth so much.”

Frank Littlejohn of Metairie was one of the exhibitors who displayed his collection.

BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Mark Lagrange looks through coins with John Doyle, 10, at his side during the Louisiana Numismatic Association's coin show at the Doubletree Hotel in Kenner Saturday, July 9, 2011. More than 20 dealers attended the show that included United States coins and paper currency, Civil War paper currency, coins from ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantine coins, coins from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance, gold and silver bullion, and foreign coins and currency from around the world. The Crescent City Coin Club hosted the two-day event.

“I started collecting coins when I was 9 years old,” said Littlejohn, 77. “For me, the value of the coin is secondary. I’m interested in the history behind each coin. For example, the 2-cent and 3-cent pieces tell a story about our country as well as the economy at that time.”

Michael Maniscalco, another exhibitor from Metairie, has been collecting since he was 8.

“I love holding a coin in my hand and telling other people about its history,” said Maniscalco, 51.

Victor and Bobbye Jerone of Meridian, Miss. displayed their collection, which included French gold coins from 1815 to 1938 and U.S. currency from 1914, 1917 and 1923.

“For me this is a hobby,” Victor Jerone said. “I love the artwork of the coins and currency that I collect, as well as their history.”

Hardie Maloney, an exhibitor from Diamondhead, Miss., said he thinks interest in coin collecting is growing among young people today.

“I think this is especially true when you see older people who die and pass on their collection to younger people in their families,” Maloney said.

Maloney says the economy also has contributed to an increased interest in older coins. “The value of silver and gold coins has gone up in the past 20 years,” Maloney said.